FujiFilm’s Instax Mini Link 3 printer is a much-loved $100 accessory in my travel journal kit. I often tape a printed image next to my handwritten thoughts to preserve a moment in time. The prints produced by the instant film can, however, be soft and muddy — something the new $169.95 Instax Mini Link+ promises to improve.
Technology
The latest Instax printer is a pricey but worthy upgrade
The big upgrade is a new Design Print mode. It’s supposed to make text and intricate illustrations crisp and legible, but I didn’t see much of an improvement, despite that being a big selling point. I did, however, find that the improved processing inside the Mini Link+ enhanced contrast, colors, and sharpness, to reveal more details in a wide variety of photos, and I think that’s more important to most people.
From my testing, the new Mini Link+ is definitely an upgrade, but don’t expect this, or any instant film Instax printer to perform miracles, especially for images measuring just 62 x 46mm (2.44 x 1.81 inches).

$170
The Good
- Best Instax Mini printer yet
- Improved colors, sharpness, and contrast on most photos
- Fun for creatives
The Bad
- Little improvement on text heavy illustrations
- Expensive
- App is overwrought
FujiFilm’s Instax printers all use its Instax Mini instant film which typically costs around $30 for 20 sheets, or about $1.50 per photo. To print, you need to download the “Instax Mini Link” app available for both iOS and Android.
The app is overwrought with features that let you visualize your photos in real space with VR and use the printer as a remote camera shutter. It also helps you organize your images; imagine your prints in frames, on shelves, or as a collage taped to the wall; and prettify them with text, stickers, and filters. You can even connect your Pinterest account if you want. Fun, I suppose, but I’m not twelve-years old – I’m a full-grown man, damnit, and I just want to print photos in my iPhone’s photo library, and do it quickly!




To do that, I have to first import the image into the Instax Mini Link app, hit print, choose either the Simple or Design mode, then wait 20 seconds for the printout. Simple print promises “smooth color tones for everyday images” and produces softer images that, in general, are still an improvement over most anything the Mini Link 3 can print. Design mode is exclusive to the Mini Link+ and the reason you might want it.
I tested the different modes with a variety of images and generally found Design prints made on the Mini Link+ were superior for faces, landscapes, high contrast images, and macro shots of nature. Everything, really, other than text-heavy illustrations, where I saw no obvious improvement.

For example, look at my stupid face. Photos with intense lighting were susceptible to blowout when printed on the older Mini Link 3. The Simple and Design prints from the Mini Link+ handled the lighting better, with improved contrast, more detail in the eye, and more accurate colors and skin texture.

In the example above, everything in the Mini Link 3 print is super soft and blends together in a muddled mess. The Mini Link+ again offers improved contrast, with visible textures on the rock faces, tree branches, and improved colors throughout. The wooden slats on the barn, lines of individual trees, and wheel detail are more pronounced on the Design print, with less saturation on that big pine to the left.

Here, the Mini Link 3 struggles to depict the snow as anything but a white smear, while you can make out individual snowflakes and depth on the Mini Link+ Design print.

In this example, the Mini Link 3 really flattens the sky and removes the texture from the distant mountain. The greens and blues are more brilliant with the Simple and Design prints, while the separation between bits of gravel and blades of grass is more apparent in Design mode.


In this Spotify screenshot, Design mode sharpens the lettering and artificially enhances the white text with a black outline, most visible on the letters “a” and “s.” Simple mode doesn’t do this. The outlining does make the lettering pop.




I find surprisingly little difference between these illustrations printed by the Mini Link 3 and the Mini Link+, even in Design mode. Strange because this is where FujiFilm’s new printer is supposed to excel. Nevertheless, they all look good enough for hobbyists, and anyone looking to spice up a journal or decorate a room.
1/7
After printing 15 photos over the last few days, the battery on the Instax Mini Link+ is still at 80 percent. The battery charges over USB-C, and, if you’re in Europe, the FujiFilm NP-70S battery can be user-replaced when it no longer holds a charge.
From my testing, I think it’s clear that if you want the best photo quality available in an Instax printer, then the $169.95 Mini Link+ is the one to get. It also makes the case for being a worthy upgrade for some Mini Link 3 owners, so long as you’re not expecting improved prints of text-heavy illustrations.
But its price puts the Mini Link+ into direct competition with dye-sublimation printers like the Canon Selphy QX20 which yields prints that are sharp and accurate with better resistance to water and fading. Otherwise, the Mini Link 3 is still a great printer for the price, and the soft, moody images it prints is a vibe worth $100.
Photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
Technology
Godzilla Minus Zero stomps through New York in first teaser trailer
*insert Godzilla screeching sound* Here’s the very first look at the next big kaiju feature. Godzilla Minus Zero will continue the story of 2023’s Godzilla Minus One, which returned the franchise to the more grounded tone established in the original film, and while the new teaser trailer doesn’t show a whole lot, it suggests some big things for the series.
Minus Zero is set in 1949, two years after the first movie, “and continues the story of the Shikishima family as they face an all-new calamity,” according to the official logline. Apparently that includes shifting the setting from Tokyo to New York, as we see Godzilla right next to the Statue of Liberty. Stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe will be reprising their roles, while director Takashi Yamazaki — who is also making a giant robot movie called Grandgear — will once again be helming the film. Toho also says that Minus Zero will be the first Japanese movie filmed for IMAX.
It’s a busy time for the world’s most famous kaiju, who will also be appearing in the next entry in Legendary’s monsterverse with Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, and is currently featured in the Apple TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Godzilla Minus Zero, meanwhile, hits theaters on November 6th.
Technology
Why your home Wi-Fi needs more than just a strong password
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
If you’ve locked down your home Wi-Fi with a strong password, you’re already ahead of the game. But here’s the reality: a password alone isn’t enough to keep your online activity private.
Most people think of Wi-Fi security as simply keeping strangers off their network. And while that matters, it’s only part of the picture. Even with a secure password, your internet activity can still be visible to others in ways you might not expect.
A Wi-Fi password keeps people out, but it does not hide what happens inside your connection.
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DO YOU NEED A VPN AT HOME? HERE ARE 10 REASONS YOU DO
A strong Wi-Fi password can keep intruders off your network, but it does not stop others from seeing what you do online. A VPN adds encryption and helps protect your privacy. (trumzz/Getty Images)
Who can still see your data?
When you connect to the internet at home, your internet service provider (ISP) can see a surprising amount of what you do online. That can include the websites you visit, how long you spend on them and sometimes even more detailed activity.
In some cases, that data can be:
- Logged and stored
- Shared with third parties
- Used to build advertising profiles
And it’s not just your ISP. Websites, apps, big tech companies, governments and data brokers are constantly collecting information about your behavior, often without you realizing it. Think of it this way: your password locks the front door, but once your data leaves your house, it can still be exposed along the way. That’s where a VPN comes in.
How a VPN adds real privacy
A virtual private network (VPN) creates a secure, encrypted tunnel between your device and the internet. That means your data is scrambled before it leaves your home network, making it much harder for anyone to see what you’re doing online.
In addition, connecting to a VPN server gives you a new IP address, so your online activity can’t be easily traced back to you. This makes it harder for advertisers, social networks and scammers to construct behavioral profiles, which can be used to target you with things like phishing attacks.
With a VPN:
- Your browsing activity is hidden from your ISP
- Your IP address is masked, making tracking more difficult
- Your connection is encrypted, even on everyday home Wi-Fi
SPRING CLEAN YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT: WHY RETIREES ARE SCAM TARGETS
Even on protected home Wi-Fi, your ISP and other companies may still see parts of your online activity. (Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images)
Many VPN services are popular for their speed, simplicity and overall feature sets. This becomes even more important if you ever use public Wi-Fi, where your data is far more exposed.
What does this mean in practice?
For starters, most VPN services are easy to use. They offer apps for nearly every device imaginable, including options that work directly with routers. These apps are straightforward to set up and configure.
Once running, a single click or tap is all it takes to change your virtual location, mask your IP address and encrypt your connection. High-speed servers mean they don’t fall into the trap of slowing you down. In many cases, using a VPN can even provide more consistent, reliable speeds.
With a more anonymous IP address, your ISP is also less able to throttle (cap) your connection speeds, as some providers do.
Setting up a VPN on your router protects every device in your home automatically, including smart TVs, gaming consoles and other connected devices.
Many VPN providers now go beyond basic protection and offer additional privacy tools. These can include password managers, email protection, identity monitoring and even private AI tools designed to keep your data more secure.
In short, it’s no longer just about securing your connection. It’s about protecting your entire digital footprint.
A smarter way to protect your home network
Your home Wi-Fi is the gateway to everything you do: online banking, shopping, working and staying connected. Relying on just a password is like locking your door but leaving the curtains wide open.
Adding a VPN gives you an extra layer of privacy that works quietly in the background while enhancing every corner of your digital life.
It’s about being prepared, sure. But it’s also about peace of mind.
5 SIMPLE TECH TIPS TO IMPROVE DIGITAL PRIVACY
A secure password protects your router, but not necessarily your digital footprint. Using a VPN can help keep your browsing, IP address and home network more private. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Ways to protect your privacy beyond a password
- Use a VPN on your home network and public Wi-Fi
- Enable automatic updates on all your devices
- Use strong, unique passwords and consider a password manager
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible
- Limit app permissions and review privacy settings regularly
For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
A strong password is a smart first step, but it only protects who gets onto your network, not what happens to your data after it leaves. Your internet activity still passes through systems designed to track, analyze and sometimes profit from it. Adding a VPN shifts the balance back in your favor by encrypting your connection and limiting how much others can see. It is a simple upgrade that turns basic security into real privacy, without changing how you use the internet day to day.
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Where should we draw the line between staying connected and staying private? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Technology
A sleek, wearable airbag for cyclists is nearly here
What you’re looking at is a new airbag system integrated directly into a “race-ready” skinsuit, not bolted on like other solutions. It was developed for road cyclists by Van Rysel, with the help of airbag technology specialist In&motion. It’s currently being tested on pro riders ahead of a general consumer release sometime “within the next two years.”
Its development comes after the UCI, pro cycling’s governing body, put out a call in February seeking gear that could help protect riders traveling faster than ever.
The current version is in final validation ahead of potential race deployment. It has a total weight of about 700 grams (500 grams for the airbag components), making it significantly lighter than airbag systems worn in MotoGP, says Van Rysel. And like the proven MotoGP solutions, Van Rysel’s Airbag deploys in just 60 milliseconds after its impact-detection algorithm senses that something has gone horribly wrong.
The skinsuit is design to be aerodynamic and to dissipate heat, with abrasion-resistant materials used to help reduce the risk of road rash and other surface-level skin injuries. The Airbag deploys to protect areas of the upper body not covered by a helmet, including the central core, cervical zone, and spinal line. More extensive protection will be explored in the future.
“Behind every race number, there’s a human being and sadly it is still widely accepted that a rider can lose everything in a fraction of a second due to a crash,” says Van Rysel product manager Jocelyn Bar. “What helmets represented 20 years ago, we think Airbag can represent today, but now, we’re looking beyond the head, we need to protect as much of the body as we can.”
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